Revised U.S. defense bill sails through House, despite Guantanamo

WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The House of Representatives
overwhelmingly passed the National Defense Authorization Act on
Thursday, including $5 billion in spending cuts not contained in
a version of the bill vetoed by President Barack Obama last
month.

The vote was 370-58 for the measure, which authorizes more
than $600 billion in defense spending. It had strong support
from both Republicans and Obama's fellow Democrats, even though
it still contains provisions making it difficult to close the
detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Senate could pass the revised bill as soon as next week,
despite calls for changes in its Guantanamo provisions. These
include restrictions on transferring detainees to the United
States from the naval base, which still houses 112 foreign
terrorism suspects.

Congressional aides said they expect Obama will sign the
revised bill, even with the Guantanamo restrictions, but the
White House has not made his intentions clear. Obama, who has
vowed to close the prison before leaving office in 2017, said
the Guantanamo language was one reason he vetoed the bill, known
as the NDAA.

The White House has not issued another veto threat, but a
spokesman said Obama has not ruled out an executive order to
close the facility.

That suggestion angered some Republicans in Congress, many
of whom consider Guantanamo an essential tool in efforts to
combat terrorism. "Why do we even have a Congress if the
president can issue an executive order on anything?" Republican
Senator Pat Roberts fumed at a news conference.

U.S. officials have considered transferring Guantanamo
detainees to a facility in Kansas, Roberts' home state.
Republican senators Tim Scott of South Carolina and Cory Gardner
of Colorado, states that are also potential targets for
transfers, also strongly opposed the plan.

On the other side, 28 retired senior U.S. military officers
signed a letter to Obama expressing support for closing
Guantanamo, saying some concerns of those who oppose bringing
detainees to the United States were unfounded.

"Our prisons house hundreds of convicted terrorists. None
has ever escaped," they wrote.

The spending cuts contained in the revised NDAA reflect a
budget agreement between the administration and the
Republican-controlled Congress addressing Obama's main concern
about the bill, using war funds to let the Pentagon avoid
mandatory spending cuts.

Senate Democrats voted Thursday to block another defense
measure, the fiscal 2016 appropriations bill, for a third time,
part of a broader fight with Republicans over spending policy.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Frances Kerry and
Lisa Shumaker)